docs: def to_rgba(val):
      '''
      to_rgba(val) is identical to matplotlib.colors.to_rgba(val) except that it operates over lists
        as well as individual elements to yield matrices of rgba values. In addition, it always yields
        numpy vectors or matrices.
      '''
      if pimms.is_npmatrix(val) and val.shape[1] == 4: return val
      try: return np.asarray(matplotlib.colors.to_rgba(val))
      except Exception: return np.asarray([matplotlib.colors.to_rgba(u) for u in val])